How to provide excellent customer service on social media

Of all the social media benefits and uses for organizations, none compares to customer service opportunities.

It was the first way that brand managers connected with people through social media, and it remains a crucial function of these platforms today.

[RELATED: Want to get your employees involved and active online? Download our free guide: 6 steps to crafting an internal social media plan.]

Customer service is a “feast or famine” function. If done well, the benefits can be enormous—even viral. When handled poorly, these instances are almost guaranteed to go viral (in a way no brand manager wants). That’s when a social media miss becomes a PR nightmare.

New research reinforces how important customer service is on social platforms, and how far some brands still have to go to achieve greatness. Consider the following:

• Eighty percent of companies believe they deliver superior customer service, but only 8 percent of customers agree.

• Thirty-three percent of social media users prefer using social media over calling a customer service line.

• If a consumer receives strong customer service, 48 percent will tell friends about that experience.

Customer-service missteps can be avoided, and best practices boosted. Headway Capital provides an infographic that details 10 steps to giving excellent social media customer care:

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